A variety of recreational activities provide people with time away from the workplace. Many people enjoy recreational activities with their families, friends, and co-workers. Popular recreational activities in the United States include outdoor activities such as hunting, fishing, water sports, cycling, mountain biking, and the like. Americans spend a significant amount of money every year to participate in such outdoor recreational activities.
The average American has access to or knows someone with access to an automobile. The mobility of the average American has created the desire to travel in order to pursue their favorite recreational activities. In some cases, outdoor recreational activities require the use of large gear or bulky equipment in order to participate in the activity. Generally, the sports and recreation enthusiast is limited by the interior capacity of his automobile or by the ability of his automobile to carry equipment on the exterior of the automobile.
Some people have obtained trailers for their automobiles to carry recreational gear or equipment that ordinarily would not fit inside or cannot be secured safely to the exterior of their automobile. Trailers are useful in the art for their ability to hitch to the rear of an automobile, thus permitting an operator of the automobile to pull the trailer behind the automobile. Depending upon the size and capacity of the trailer, large or bulky items can be placed on board of the trailer for transport. Typically, trailers can carry boxes, luggage, firewood, tools, machinery, or other ordinary items. Some trailers are specially equipped to secure and to carry recreational equipment, such as motorcycles, mountain or dirt bikes, all-terrain vehicles, jet skis, or the like.
Recreational activities can involve the use of an observation stand. Observation stands are useful for elevating a person from the ground to a relatively higher position. From a higher position, the person gains a greater vantage point from which to observe the local surroundings, thus permitting the person to gather more information about the local surroundings within the person's line of sight. Typically, observation stands are used in military operations, forestry services, game and wildlife hunting, sporting events, and other outdoor recreational activities.
Generally, observation stands are stationary platforms supported above the ground. For example, hunters and gamesmen erect deer stands above the ground to increase their line of sight over their local surroundings. In another recreational example, a spectator in the infield of a race track during a NASCAR race may want to watch the race. However, the number of recreational vehicles and pickup trucks may block the spectator's view of the race.
A relatively large observation stand cannot be transported easily. In some cases, breaking down a relatively large observation stand can be cumbersome or impractical such that transporting the stand to a new location is not feasible. Sometimes, those stands that can be transported cannot be hauled safely in a trailer behind an automobile. The time expended in breaking down an observation stand to be transported on a trailer can be time consuming. Once the observation stand is secured to a trailer, the stand can be transported to a new location by automobile. When the stand reaches the new location, additional time is expended in setting up the observation stand. In some cases, more than one person may be needed to break down and to set up the observation stand.
Thus, there is a need for a system and apparatus for a portable observation stand.
There is a further need for a system and apparatus for converting a trailer into an observation stand.